The Last Diamond

French film Le Dernier Diamant (The Last Diamond) is a thrilling caper about a thief trying to steal a mythical diamond by daringly conning its owner.

In Le Dernier Diamant, Simon, a thief released on parole who just can't stop himself from performing larceny with his favorite partner in crime Albert, played by Jean-François Stévenin. He agrees to orchestrate the biggest heist of his life, to steal the "Florentin." A 137 carat mythical diamond finally being brought out from private ownership to auction. To succeed, he must get close to Julia, a diamond expert, for whom the sale is of considerable personal importance.

Yvan Attal plays Simon, the cunning con-artist who just can not say "No" to daring theft of substantial difficulty. Julia is played by Bérénice Bejo, a beautiful, confident and smart auction dealer. The chemistry between the two actors is playful and quite engaging for the audience. Further, all supporting characters are unique enough to differentiate the film from just your average caper flick.

Le Dernier Diamant, which translates to The Last Diamond in English, has a heist especially expertly written and directed by Eric Barbier. The brunt of the beginning of the film lays the groundwork for the eventual complicated theft and interpersonal character development. It is funny, lighthearted and all-in-all an enjoyable romp of a film.

Interestingly the robbery occurs in the middle of the movie, rather than follow the stereotypical formula for a heist movie in which the con occurs in the last third of the film. After which Le Dernier Diamant's tone switches from comedic popcorn cinema to suspenseful drama. It takes a bit of a nosedive with this serious tone but maintains a solidly entertaining flick and commendable addition to the genre.

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